Kiwis ahead of Aussies in social media recruitment

Social media is revolutionising recruitment and New Zealand is leading the way over our neighbours when it comes to the social media evolution of the job hunt.

BY
Tammy Buckley 02 Dec 2013

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New Zealand is leading the way over Australia when it comes to joining in the global shift to utilise social media in recruitment according to a new survey.

The Kelly Global Workforce Index, an international survey of more than 120,000 employees in 31 countries, including more than 3,500 New Zealanders, scrutinised the impact of social networks on job selection, career choice and recruitment in general.

Results showed that 40% of New Zealanders have been contacted about a potential job opportunity via a social media network, compared to 38% Australian respondents. Of those offered a job this way in NZ 17% successfully secured it, ahead of Australia at 14%.

The survey also showed that 47% of Kiwi respondents ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that networking and social media sites are a good option for providing friends and colleagues with job referrals and opportunities.

Kelly Services general manager – commercial, Wendy Hewson, stated that New Zealand has been receptive to online technologies and, with the spread of social media in the community mirrored in the workplace, the social media evolution was well under way in the country.

“More and more New Zealanders are turning to social media to discuss their work, and canvas job openings and career choices. For such a mobile population – particularly with people travelling for their OE – these social connections are making recruitment a lot easier by broadening the reach of their networks. The workplace has always been built on contacts and relationships; social media is bringing these into the modern world,” she explained.

The survey also found that Kiwis are becoming increasingly open to receiving job referrals via their social network with more than half (63%) of New Zealand respondents indicating so. This is on par with the global average and significantly ahead of Australians on 57%.

And while many may assume that it is Gen Y leading the way when it comes to social media recruitment, results show a consistent pattern among all generations. Gen Y does lead with 18% of respondents attributing their new job in the previous year to social media, only slightly ahead of Gen X (16%) and Baby Boomers (16%).

Hewson adds that social media is revolutionising recruitment in New Zealand quietly.

“Social media in recruitment has altered the way people search for and communicate about work. Its emergence has opened up an abundance of connections where people are willing to share information, contacts, views, and alerts about prospective job opportunities,” she stated.

“As a job-search tool, it has reached a new level of maturity, with the use and acceptance of social media networks no longer confined to younger generations. It also makes the job-search exercise less a private pursuit and more of a shared experience. The power and the speed of this transformation is having a significant impact on recruiting techniques.”

Do you agree with the findings? Let us know in the comments section below.

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